Voices from the village on trophy hunting in Hwange district, Zimbabwe

Abstract

There is a general scarcity of information on local community perspectives regarding trophy hunting in Zimbabwe. This information chasm is undesirable to the country, scientists and trophy hunting market participants given that major Western customer markets require evidence of benefits by local communities in order to support trophy hunting. This study contributes to closing the knowledge gap by discussing the community perspectives of the dominant trophy hunting market for ecosystem services (the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) programme) in Zimbabwe. In bringing this viewpoint to light, the study uses perspectives of communities in Hwange district, Matabeleland north with a particular focus on attributes and attitudes towards CAMPFIRE. A qualitative research design obtained in depth information on current CAMPFIRE issues. Data was collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Results show that the contribution of CAMPFIRE to local economic development has been hampered by market challenges and the exclusion of the local communities who are the producer constituency.